Picture this – Yesterday, I was with my daughter Tanisha, showing her a new way to paint. Her eyes lit up as she held her paintbrush, ready to try something new. She was excited about this new way of painting, but she was also very scared. Trying something new can be really scary sometimes!
Isn’t it something to see a person feel scared and excited at the same time when they’re learning something new? Seeing Tanisha react this way shows just how mixed up our feelings can get, especially when we’re trying something we’ve never done before.
My child, Tanisha, is an abstract art painter, and we often get asked, “What is abstract art?” It can be challenging to explain, but Tanisha has a special way of expressing her creativity through colors and shapes.
For Tanisha, abstract art is about capturing emotions and experiences in a way that words cannot convey. It’s a way of bringing emotions to life on the canvas.
When she paints, Tanisha starts with no plan, letting her intuition guide her as she explores different colors and textures. It’s a bit like a game of discovery!
As she paints, patterns and connections begin to emerge, and Tanisha builds on those, layering and refining until the painting takes on a life of its own. Each brush stroke reveals something new and unexpected.
That’s the beauty of abstract art – it’s a way of expressing oneself in a unique and personal way. It’s a language of the soul that invites the viewer to bring their own experiences and emotions to the painting. Abstract art allows Tanisha to explore the world through color and imagination, and share that beauty with others.
So, coming back to learning, learning something new can make you feel really happy and really scared at the same time. This is especially true when you’re doing something you’re not used to. Sometimes, we get scared because we don’t know what will happen, we’re worried about making mistakes, or we’re scared we won’t do well. For people like Tanisha, these feelings can be really strong. Some people love trying new things, but others find it hard to control their feelings. It’s so important to help and understand people like Tanisha, showing them how to handle being scared in a good way.
As I watched Tanisha try this new painting method, I saw how the strong feelings made her react. She loved the new painting method and was excited about her painting, but she was also really scared because she felt pressure to do well and was unsure about trying something new.
Tanisha does her best when she’s in a safe and comforting place. It’s also really important to let her know that it’s okay to make mistakes when learning something new. I hope that Tanisha will learn to enjoy the fun of trying new things while also handling the fear that comes with it. With time, practice, and lots of support, she might even get better at handling new things with courage and happiness.
Whether a person has autism or not, we all get scared. I hope more people will understand and talk about this. Let’s make a world that understands and supports everyone. By talking openly and spreading awareness, we can make a space where people aren’t ashamed of being scared, but are supported and helped.
#learning #art #share #creativity
Author Juhi Saxena
Creative representation for this blog is done by our extremely talented CreativeSaathi Tanisha Saxena
Art has the remarkable ability to transcend barriers and connect with individuals on a deep and emotional level. For people with autism, a developmental disorder characterized by challenges in social interaction, communication, and restricted or repetitive behaviors, art can play a significant role in self-expression, communication, and personal growth.
Art provides a unique avenue for individuals with autism to express their thoughts, emotions, and experiences in a non-verbal and sensory-driven manner. Many people with autism face difficulties in verbal communication, but art allows them to communicate and share their perspectives in ways that words often fail to capture.
The sensory aspects of art can also be highly beneficial for individuals with autism. Many people on the autism spectrum have heightened sensory sensitivities, and engaging in art can offer a therapeutic and calming experience. The process of creating art, including the tactile sensation of brushstrokes or the rhythm of playing a musical instrument, can help individuals with autism regulate their sensory systems and promote relaxation and self-soothing.
Art therapy, a specialized form of therapy that utilizes art-making as a means of self-expression and emotional healing, has been particularly effective for individuals with autism. Art therapy can help individuals with autism develop coping strategies, improve self-esteem, and gain a deeper sense of self-awareness and self-acceptance.
Author Juhi Saxena
Hello, I’m Juhi. I take immense pride in introducing myself as Tanisha’s mother. Tanisha, who is on the Autism Spectrum, serves as my teacher and inspires me to be a better human being every day. Her determination has taught me the value of never giving up. I openly advocate for the mental well-being of caregivers and parents of children with special needs (CWSN) and discuss the challenges faced by CWSN and their families. I firmly believe in the power of holding hands and walking together on the less traveled road.
Creative representation for this blog is done by Juhi’s daughter and our CreativeSaathi Tanisha Saxena
Triveni Goswami Vernal (Registered Special Educator, CRR No. A64010)
It is widely known that engaging in creative forms of expression can have a profound effect on one’s body and mind. According to Christianne Strang, a former President of American Art Therapy Association, “Creativity in and of itself is important for remaining healthy, remaining connected to yourself and connected to the world” (https://acrm.org/rehabilitation-medicine/how-the-brain-is-affected-by-art/).
Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, the authors of the book “Your Brain on Art” have cited several studies that have shown how engaging in some form of artistic endeavour, can improve the overall well being of an individual (both mental and physical). They state, “When you experience virtual reality, read poetry or fiction, see a film or listen to a piece of music, or move your body to dance, to name a few of the many arts, you are biologically changed…There is a neurochemical exchange that can lead to what Aristotle called catharsis, or a release of emotion that leaves you feeling more connected to yourself and others” (https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_art_does_for_your_brain).
Keeping this in mind, the development of a relatively new form of “therapeutic art”-Neurographic Art, makes a lot of sense. The term “Neurographic Art” was coined by psychologist, Dr. Pavel Piscarev in 2014. According to an article, The benefits of Neurographic Art on the Vancouver Visual Art Foundation website, “neurographic art is a technique, which comprises drawing freeform lines or ‘neuro lines.’ These are meant to enable the connection between the conscious and unconscious, gaining access to the inner self by using a specific algorithm or method. The algorithm utilized in neurographic art enables us to transform and process the emotions that might have guided our freeform line drawings and turn them into new mesmerizing art”( https://www.vanvaf.com/post/the-benefits-of-neurographic-art).
So, what does Neurographic Art entail? Neurographic Art is much more than simply Doodling. There is a technique behind the method as well as the interpretation of the art. According to Celeste Wilson who has penned down an article on “Neurographic Art: A Therapeutic Art Form” in https://medium.com/share-your-creativity/neurographic-art-13ad4b279d92 , one of the basic algorithms of Neurographic Art, includes the following: “•Draw loose crisscrossing lines on a piece of paper using a pen or marker. By using an ink pen and not a pencil, you are forced to commit to the design. You can’t erase it. •As you draw, think of the things that trouble you. •Don’t focus on structure, just let your pen flow across the page. •Where the lines cross and make sharp corners, round them out. Softening these edges is calmative. •You can add shapes to your drawing. •Now add color. Instead of adding shapes, you might want to use color to highlight shapes. •Study the drawing and see if there are any recognizable shapes. Perhaps you see a leaf or a butterfly. Then color them in as if you were coloring in a coloring book.” The website https://createforhealing.com/neurographic-art-for-healing/ has a detailed post on the materials required and a description regarding how one can create a piece of neurographic art. Lesson Plan on Neurographic Art: https://www.derwentart.us/siteassets/dwt-inspiration/lesson-plans/project-pdfs/derwent_neurographic_inktense_blocks_final_1645814439.pdf
Thus, we see that Neurographic Art connects the unexpressed with an expressive art form. It allows an individual to express their deepest thoughts, anxieties and feelings through free flowing, free form lines that take various shapes, allowing one to create a safe space to let go off their innermost turmoil.
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Author Triveni Goswami Vernal
Triveni Goswami Vernal is an Autism advocate, registered Special Educator (CRR A64010) and an Independent Researcher. Her areas of interest include Autism, Disability Rights, Gender, Art and Northeast studies. She is a mum to an 11 year old on the Autism Spectrum.
Creative representation for this blog is done by our extremely talented CreativeSaathi associate Kabir Vernal
Inspired by Jackson Pollock’s style “Flowers” by Kabir Vernal Acrylic Painting on 2ft x 2ft Canvas
–Triveni Goswami Vernal (Registered Special Educator A64010)
ART THERAPY: AN INTRODUCTION
Art Therapy is a therapeutic approach, facilitated by a trained Art Therapist involving creative processes to help the client, express their unexpressed thoughts, emotions and perceptions, through various projective techniques, to not only help them heal but also work towards their emotional, mental and physical well-being.
According to the American Art Therapy Association, Art Therapy has been defined as “an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship” (About Art Therapy. Accessed from the website https://arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/ on July 19, 2021).
In Art Therapy, the client -therapist relationship is situated within a confidential space, where every effort is made by the therapist to honour the sentiments shared by the client and to ensure that no information is leaked outside that space. The Process, rather than the product, is the focus of Art Therapy. The goal of the therapeutic process is the self-expression of the client and the art piece that is created, is considered to be a reflection of the client’s thoughts and perceptions.
CAREGIVING, ART THERAPY AND SELF CARE: Being a caregiver, can be quite exhausting. Caregiving is not only limited to being physically present with the child or being around the child, but also be “mentally and emotionally present” at all times for the child’s needs. And doing that, day in and day out, can be emotionally and physically draining for the caregiver. One must, therefore actively take out time, during the day for oneself.
In 2009, a study in The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders found that the “levels of chronic stress experienced by the mothers were akin to those of combat soldiers (cited in https://archive.nytimes.com/parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/going-to-battle-against-autism/). Art Therapy can help an individual get in touch with their inner selves, improve self-awareness and help them gain insight into their thoughts and feelings, that they might not be otherwise aware of.
ART THERAPY ACTIVITIES: Maintain a Journal: To begin with your self-care journey, you can keep a dedicated journal to jot down your innermost thoughts, feelings, fears, hopes and aspirations. You can write every day/once a week, whatever time frame suits you, about something that you like …a quotation, or a poem, or a phrase that you really liked, or about something that is bothering you, or making you stressful. You can doodle or draw or collage bits of paper/magazine sheets to create your own art, to illustrate the various emotions you are experiencing. Sharing some activities from the book Essential Art Therapy Exercises: Effective Techniques to Manage Anxiety, Depression and PTSD, Leah Guzman, ATR-BC, 2020 – 1) Feeling Identification: Take a blank, relatively thick piece of paper and take any colouring medium (pastels, crayons, colour pencils, paints etc). Choose a colour that you feel reflects what you are presently feeling. Draw a circle with that colour. Inside that circle, use lines and shapes to draw an image or images to identify how you are feeling at present. 2) Scribble Into a Drawing: Take a blank, relatively thick piece of paper and take coloured pencils or crayons. Close your eyes and scribble a line on the paper. Look at it from various angles and then create an image out of your scribble using the coloured pencils/crayons. 3) Expressive Free Flow: Take a large sheet of paper, hang it on the wall and take sketch pens/markers. Stand and take any colour sketch pen/marker and draw a large circle on the paper and continue to create as many large circles as you can, with different colours. Use alternate arms to draw the circles. This exercise helps to loosen up and become more expressive. 4) Gratitude Check-In: Take your journal and write 5 things that happened today for which you are grateful. This activity can be done every day, either when you wake up or before you go to bed. 5) Draw a Feeling Wheel: Draw a circle. You can take the help of a circular object like the lid of a jar/ bowl, if needed. Divide the circle into 8 triangles (like in a pizza). On the top of each triangle, write a feeling. So, the circle will have eight different emotions. Choose the closest colour you may feel reflects that emotion. And colour the triangle, leaving the space, where you have written about it. Then ask yourself the following questions: Which feelings did you write down first? Which feelings are you currently experiencing? Did you colour any two emotions in the same colour? If yes, which ones? And what does it mean to you? On your Feeling Wheel, are there more positive emotions/negative emotions?
6) Mindful Sketch: Take a drawing pencil and a sheet of relatively thick paper. Choose an object near you and sketch out its shape. You can add as many details as you like. This activity can help improve mindfulness and focus. Other art therapy activities that an individual can do: 1) Practice drawings that are based on the Principle of Symmetry. Such activities are therapeutic as they work on stabilizing Mind and Body.
Source:https://artforkidshub.com/5-free-symmetry-art-activity/ 2) Create a Collage from various found materials (magazine, newspaper cut outs, old artworks) to create a new piece about your hopes and aspirations. 3) Working with Clay Dough: Create new shapes, dismantle them and create something anew. 4) Draw yourself as a Plant or an Animal and write down why you chose that particular one and how it makes you feel. 5) Play some music in the background. Imagine you are walking in the forest and try to transfer the feelings you experience as you imagine walking in that forest and the visual imagery, on the paper. The drawing doesn’t have to be perfect. It should just capture the essence of how you feel. Thus, we see that the exercises in art therapy are a reflection of an individual’s thoughts and perceptions. Art Therapy forms a bridge to connect with one’s deep thoughts, desires and anxieties, that one might not be otherwise aware of. Art Therapy helps in creating a mindful and more aware individual. One can consult a trained Art Therapist to work through one’s inner challenges to arrive at a more balanced state of mind.
**The author has a Diploma in Art Therapy.
Author Triveni Goswami Vernal
Triveni Goswami Vernal is an Autism advocate, registered Special Educator (CRR A64010) and an Independent Researcher. Her areas of interest include Autism, Disability Rights, Gender, Art and Northeast studies. She is a mum to an 11 year old on the Autism Spectrum.
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Creative representation for this blog is done by our extremely talented CreativeSaathi associate Kabir Vernal
